Titans Sweep Pioneers, Earn Berth In WIAC Championship

UW-Oshkosh clinched a berth in the WIAC Baseball Championship with a doubleheader sweep of UW-Platteville on Saturday (May 7) in Platteville.

UW-Oshkosh (18-19-1, 9-11 WIAC) defeated UW-Platteville (20-20, 6-14 WIAC) by scores of 9-4 in the opening contest and 7-3 during the second game.

The Titans entered the four-game, season-ending series with the Pioneers needing just one win to secure a place in next week's four-team, double-elimination tournament. UW-Platteville swept a pair of games from UW-Oshkosh on Friday (May 6), setting up Saturday's pivotal doubleheader.

UW-Oshkosh, seeded fourth for the WIAC Championship, will face top seed and host UW-La Crosse (31-8) at 10 a.m. on Friday (May 13) at Copeland Park in La Crosse. In Friday's other first-round matchup, second-seeded UW-Whitewater (27-12) will play third-seeded UW-Stevens Point (21-19) at 1 p.m.

Winners of the opening-round games will face off at 7 p.m. on Friday. That game will be preceded by 4 p.m. contest involving the opening-round losers.

In Saturday's first game, UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Colan Treml earned the victory by tossing seven effective innings with nine strikeouts. A total of five Titans had multiple hits.

Andy Brahier had three of UW-Oshkosh's 13 hits, including the eventual game-winning, two-run double in the decisive eighth inning. Tyler Kozlowski, Robbie Kleman, Dylan Ott and Trent Whitcomb added two hits each for the Titans, while Kleman drove in three runs and Johnny Eagan two.

UW-Platteville jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Tanner Galeazzi double that scored Colin DeBoer in the first inning.

Brahier notched the first hit against UW-Platteville starting pitcher Riley Vandenberg with a leadoff single in the third inning, but the Titans ended the frame with two runners in scoring position.

In the top of the fifth inning, Jack Paulson recorded a one-out base hit, went to second base on a groundout and stole third base. Following a walk by Eagan, Kleman gave the Titans a 2-1 lead with a triple down the right-field line.

Treml retired 12 consecutive UW-Platteville batters until George Jester III drew a two-out walk. He maintained the Titans' one-run advantage by inducing a fly out to end the inning.

UW-Platteville's Evan Greco walked with one out in the seventh inning, and Max Meitzler singled with two outs for the Pioneers' first hit against Treml since the first frame. After Jim Pavlik pinch ran for Meitzler, Jester III laced a two-run double to give UW-Platteville a 3-2 advantage.

Kozlowski led off UW-Oshkosh eighth inning with a double as the Titans pounded out six hits off of three Pioneer pitchers in the frame.

Whitcomb drove home Kozlowski with a single to knot the score at 3. After Taylor Grimm reached first base and Whitcomb advanced to third on a fielder's choice, Brahier sent a double to left field as UW-Oshkosh reclaimed a 5-3 lead.

Eagan scored two more runs with a one-out single, and Kleman and Kozlowski followed with consecutive run-scoring hits to cap the rally.

Treml exited after yielding a pair of singles to start the home half of the eighth inning, but UW-Oshkosh relief pitcher Matt Sabel limited UW-Platteville to one run in the frame. The Titans ended the ninth inning by turning an infield double play.

Treml improved his season record to 3-5 after allowing four runs on six hits and two walks in seven-plus innings pitched.

UW-Platteville relief pitcher Nathan Fay was charged with the loss after allowing four runs on four hits in one-plus inning of work.

Vandenberg pitched the first six innings for the Pioneers, ceding two runs on five hits. He walked four and struck out four.

Galeazzi had two hits and two RBIs for UW-Platteville. The Pioneers also received two hits from DeBoer and two RBIs from Jester III.

In the second game, UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Peter Jewell went eight strong innings to earn the victory while Paulson hit a home run and drove in three runs.

Alex Koch contributed two hits and two RBIs for the Titans, and Kleman and Kozlowski had their second two-hit game of the day. Both of Kleman's hits were triples while Kozlowski had a double.

The teams combined for 10 errors in the contest, including six by UW-Platteville.

UW-Oshkosh opened the scoring in the second inning when Kozlowski crossed home plate on a Pioneer infield error with two outs.

The Titans added a pair of runs in the fourth inning on a bunt single by Koch and a sacrifice fly by Brahier. UW-Oshkosh extended its lead to 4-0 on Koch's two-out, run-scoring single in the fifth inning.

After allowing a one-out single to Greco in the second inning, Jewell held the Pioneers hitless until a base hit by Jester III loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh.

UW-Platteville broke up Jewell's shutout bid with a run without the aid of a hit in the fifth inning. Jewell struck out the first two Pioneer batters before hitting Todd Wienkes with a pitch. Wienkes then scored all the way from first base on a dropped fly ball in right field.

Paulson launched a two-run home run to left field to give the Titans a 6-1 advantage in the sixth inning.

Jewell allowed the Pioneers one run in the seventh inning, and UW-Oshkosh's Noah Polcyn scored as a result of UW-Platteville's third and final error of the eighth.

Greco's run-scoring single in the home half of the eighth inning provided the game's final score.

Jewell (2-3) allowed three runs (two earned) on just four hits and two walks with six strikeouts.

UW-Platteville starting pitcher Caleb Kaufmann took the loss, yielding six runs (four earned) on nine hits in 5.1 innings. He struck out four and walked three.

Greco and Jester III both singled twice to account for all of the UW-Platteville hits.